Wire twisting apparatus



- 27, 1938. D. O'NEIL 2,141,661

v WIRE TWISTEIING APPARATUS Fi led June 2, 1957 '2' Sheets-Sheet 2 I l I I Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,141,661 WIRE 'rwIs'rmG APPARATUS Application June 2, 1937, Serial No. 145,996

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of twisting wire and, in particular, to the twisting of square wire preparatory to the manufacture of nails therefrom.

While machines of various kinds have been known heretofore for twisting wires, it is an object of this invention to improve generally thereupon and to provide a wire twisting device which is simple yet rugged in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and maintain, and highly eflicient in theperformance of its intended function.

In accordance with my invention, I mount a table for reciprocation adjacent a nail-making machine. A twisting chuck is rotatably carried on the table. The wire passing therethrough is adapted to be gripped by the chuck and twisted on rotation thereof. I provide means for causing rotation of the chuck on reciprocation of the table. I further provide means for holding the untwisted portion of the wire against rotation. This means may be adjustably positioned to provide the desired pitch of the twists formed in the wire. The means for rotating the chuck may also be adjusted to ensure that the grippers thereof engage the wire at desired points circumferentially thereof.

A complete understanding of the invention may be gained by a consideration of the following detailed description which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating a present preferred embodiment with a modification of a detail. In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with parts broken away and parts shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line IIlJZ of Fig. 1; line II of Fig. 2 indicates the'plane on whichthe sectional portion of Fig. 1 is taken;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view of a modified form of chuck taken on the same plane as Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the modified form of chuck along the plane of line VV of Fig. 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the invention is associated with a nail-making machine of any suitable type, a portion of which is indicated at III. A guide rod extends rearwardly from the machine Hi, being supported in a bearing l2 therein and an outboard bearing I3 carried on any suitable supporting means. An actuating rod I4 is slidable in a bearing l5 carried on the machine-and a bearing lfi which may be supported by the same means as the bearing H. A square wire I1 is fed from a coil (not shown) to the nail-making machine through a hole l8 and the twisting device about to bedescribed, which is indicated generally at IS.

The twisting mechanism is mounted on a table 20 having depending lugs 2| bored to receive the rods II and I4. The lugs 2| traversed bythe rod l4 have set screws 22 threaded thereinto by which the table may be secured to the rod |4 so 10 as to move therewith.

The wire being fed from the coil to the nailmaking machine passes first through a die 23 having a square hole 24 therein. The die is adjustably mounted in a post 25 extending upwardly from a block 26. The die is held in the post by set screws 21, and may thus be adjusted along the path of the wire H. The block 26 is secured to the table by screws 28 passing through a slot 29 therein whereby the block may be adjusted as well as the die itself.

A cylinder 30 is rotatably mounted on the table 20 so that its axis coincides with that of the advancing wire. The cylinder is supported in bearings 3| disposed in housings 32. The latter 25 are secured to the table by bolts 33. The interior of the cylinder is cored out, as at 34, and a passage extends through the forward end of the cylinder. The rear end of the cylinder is closed by a plug 36 threaded thereinto. The plug 36 has a passage 31 and a tapered gripper seat 38 formed therein. Grippers 39 are disposed in said seat and normally held therein by a collar 40 having a back-up spring 4|. By virtue of the construction described, the chuck formed by the 35 grippers 39 and the tapered seat 38 is effective to grip the wire tightly when moved to the left and to release the wire when moved to the right.

A guide block 42 bolted to the table 20 has a passage 43 therethrough and provides a bearing 40 for a cross shaft 44. The other end of the shaft is journaled in a bearing 45 extending upwardly from the table. A bevel gear 46 is rotatable on the shaft 44 and meshes with pinion teeth 41 formed on the forward end of the cylinder 30.

A pinion 48 is formed integral with the bevel gear 46 and meshes with a rack 49 disposed in guides 50 carried on the table 20. A stud 5| extends from the rear end of the rack 49. A

block 52 is secured to the bearings l3 and is slot- 50' ted at 53 to receive the stud 5|. Adjusting nuts 54 and lock nuts 55 are threaded on the stud 5| on opposite sides of the block 52 to permit the rack 49 to be adjusted relative to the table 20.

The operation of the device described is as 33 known, the latter operates to draw a wire forward intermittently, and shape a point and head on opposite ends of short sections thereof automatically, severing 'the completed nails as finished. The table 20 is reciprocated by therod H in synchronism with the intermittent operation of the nail-making machine. I

The parts of the apparatus are illustrated in their extreme forward positions in which they are located after a feeding movement, whilethe nailmaking machine is forming a head and point on the length of wire last fed. Rearward movement of the table 20 from the position illustrated causes the pinion 48 and bevel gear 46 to turn clockwise, rotating the cylinder 30 in the same a direction as viewed from the forward end. The rearward movement of the table causes the grip-.

pers 39'to move out of their seat 38, compressing the spring 4| slightly, so that the grippers release the wire and slide over it freely. It will be understood that during this operation, the wire is held against reverse movement by the nail-making machine. The table 20 reverses and starts forward as soon as it has reached the rearmost limit of its movement, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Forward movement of the table relative to the wire causes the grippers 39 to he wedged into their seat 88 whereby they tightly grip the wire and pull it through the die 23. As the table moves forward, of course, the cylinder 30 is rotated. The tight grip exerted on the wire by grippers 89 thus 40 causes the wire to be twisted as it is drawn through the die 23. It will be understood that the portion of the wire which extends from the cylinder 3! into the nail-making machine is also free to turn axially during the forward movement of the table 20.

When the table has reached the position shown in solid lines, the shaping of the head and point of the next nail are completed, and a second reverse movement of the table occurs. The cylinder 36,

of course, rotates during the reverse movement of the table 20 as well as forward movement. but since the rotation of the cylinder 30 during the reverse movement of the table Z0 is opposite the ,rotation which accompanies forward movement,

and since the grippers release the wire during the reverse movement of the table 20, there is neither any tendency for the grippers to drag over the corners of the wire previously twisted, nor to untwist the wire previously twisted.

The pitch of the twist imparted to the section of the wire between the die 23 and the grippers 39 on forward movement of the latter may be altered by adjusting the die along the path of travel of the wire, either by releasing the screws 21 or the screws 28, or both.

The position of the rack 49 determines the angular position of the grippers 39 when they have reached their rearmost position and are ready to seize the wire. It is desirable that the grippers 39 engage the wire at the same points circumferentially thereof, as do the grippers which hold the wire during the heading operation which is incident to the completion of a nail. The adjustment of the rack 49 provided by the stud II, and the nuts thereon cooperating with the fixed ant er. 5

and '5. ,In this form, a cylinder III is rotatablymounted on the table in the same manner as the cylinder 3|. A plug 36" having a tapered seat 33' is threaded therein. Grippers 3| are pivoted to a block it loosely .dlsposedin the cored-out interiorflf of the cylinder. a

It will be apparent-from the foregoing description that the invention provides a device for rapidly twisting successive portionsof a length of wire as it is fed to a nail-making machine. The

construction is such as to be readily adapted for cooperation with known types of nail-making machines, and is characterized by extreme simplicity as well as sufllcient strength and ruggedness for the eflicient performance of its function over a long period of time without the necessity of any considerable 'amount of maintenance service.

The adjustments provided make it possible. to produce nails having different pitches of the twist of the shanks thereof, as well as to ensure'that the gripper marks made by the twisting chuck coincide with those made by the heading grippers.

Although I have illustrated and described herein but a preferred embodiment of the invention with a modified form of one feature thereof, it will be understood that changes in the construction disclosed may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for twisting wire as it is fed longitudinally in strand form comprising a table mounted for reciprocation along the path of travel of the wire, a wire gripping chuck-rotatably mounted on said table, means including relatively fixed means for causing rotation of said chuck as said table reciprocates, and means for adjusting said fixed means whereby to cause said chuck to grip the wire at predetermined points on the circumference thereof.

2. Apparatus for twisting wire as it is fed longitudinally in strand form comprising a table mounted for reciprocation along the path of travel ofthe wire, a wire gripping chuck'rotatably mounted on said table, ashaft journaled on said table at right angles to the axis of rotation of said chuck, bevel gearing connecting said shaft and chuck, a pinion on said shaft and a rack cooperating therewith to drive said chuck on reciprocation of said table.

3. A twisting chuck comprising a barrel through which a wire isadapted to be drawn, a plug threaded into the barrel having a tapered gripper seat therein, and grippers in said seat pivotally secured to a member movably disposed in said barrel and adapted to seize a wire therebetween on movement of the chuck relative to said wire.

4. Apparatus for twisting wire as it is fed longitudinally in strand form comprising a table mounted for reciprocation along the path of travel of the wire,'a wire gripping chuck rotatably mounted on said table, a gear drive including a pinion on said table effective to drive said chuck, and a relatively fixed rack meshing with said pinion for causing rotation of said chuck as said table reciprocates.

5. Apparatus for twisting wire as it is fed 1ongitudinally in strand form comprising a table 1 mounted for reciprocation along the path of trave1 of the wire, a wire gripping chuck rotatably mounted on said table, a relatively fixed die through which the wire is drawn, effective to hold it against rotation, a gear'drive including a pinion on said table for causing rotation of said chuck as said table reciprocates, and a fixed rack meshing with said pinion.

6. Apparatus for twisting wire as it is fed longitudinally in strand form comprising a table mounted for reciprocation along the path of travel 0! the wire, a wire gripping chuck rotatably mounted on said table, a gear drive on said table including a pinion for driving said chuck and a fixed rack meshing with said pinion eflective to rotate it as said table reciprocates.

7. Apparatus for successively twisting short sections of a length of metal comprising a table mounted for reciprocation along one of said sections, a chuck rotatably carried on said table and adapted to permit the length to pass entirely therethrough, gripping jaws in said chuck efiective to seize said sections successively on movement oi the chuck in one direction therealong; means for causing rotation of said chuck as said table reciprocates, and means past which each section is drawn by movement of said table in said direction, 'said last mentioned means pre- 15 venting rotation of the section. 7

DAN QNEIL. 

